BILL ANALYSIS
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VETO
Bill No: SB 571
Author: Alarcon (D), et al
Amended: 9/3/99
Vote: 27 - Urgency
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 13-0, 4/28/99
AYES: Alpert, McPherson, Chesbro, Dunn, Hayden, Haynes,
Hughes, Knight, Monteith, O'Connell, Ortiz, Sher,
Vasconcellos
NOT VOTING: Alarcon
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SENATE FLOOR : 28-6, 9/9/99
AYES: Alarcon, Alpert, Baca, Bowen, Brulte, Burton,
Chesbro, Dunn, Escutia, Hughes, Karnette, Kelley,
McPherson, Monteith, Murray, O'Connell, Ortiz, Peace,
Perata, Polanco, Poochigian, Rainey, Schiff, Sher, Solis,
Speier, Vasconcellos, Wright
NOES: Haynes, Johannessen, Knight, Leslie, Lewis, Mountjoy
NOT VOTING: Costa, Figueroa, Hayden, Johnson, Johnston,
Morrow
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-4, 9/8/99 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Families for Literacy Program
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill appropriates $375,000 to the Families
for Literacy Program and allows the program to include the
CONTINUED
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provision of training for parents who have no or minimal
reading skills, as specified.
Assembly Amendments (a) add the appropriation of $375,000,
(b) make the bill permissive by changing "shall" to "may",
and (c) add an urgency clause and coauthors.
ANALYSIS : In 1988 the Legislature created the Families
for Literacy Program, a statewide family literacy
initiative in public libraries. This program provides
state and local assistance funds each year so that public
libraries already providing adult literacy services
(usually through the California Library Literacy Services)
can extend these services to include the families of those
adult learners who have a preschool aged child. Although
having a preschool child is a prerequisite to being
eligible for this program, these programs include the
entire family.
This bill expands the purpose of the Families for Literacy
Program to allow the program to include, as a principal
component, providing training or assistance to parents who
have no or minimal reading skills so that they can help
their children learn to read. This component shall also
include specifically designed services for parents for whom
English is not their primary language.
The bill allows the program, in designing or updating its
program content, to take into consideration the literacy
requirements for children in kindergarten and grades 1 to
12, inclusive, and to provide a program that will
facilitate and prepare children for a successful transition
into formal education.
The bill appropriates $375,000 from the General Fund to the
California State Library for purposes of the program.
Comments :
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Participation . In the current year, 59 library
jurisdictions are providing family literacy in nearly 200
communities throughout California. Grant awards vary from
$4,000 to $30,000, based on the size and scope of the
individual program with the average award being about
$22,000. Of the 57 programs that were funded in 1997-98,
63% of all the children served were Hispanic, 14% were
African American, 12% were White, 9% Asian, 1% Pacific
Islander and 1% American Indian. In 1997-98, over 5,400
children received over 36,000 free books as part of their
participation in this program.
In the current year, the Families for Literacy Program is
funded with $876,000 from the General Fund.
The author contends that FLP is a cost-effective approach
to increasing family literacy. The program has been
evaluated on its current charge of providing literacy and
pre-literacy services to families and adults with young
children. The evaluations have concluded that the program
is successful in engaging parents/caregivers in literacy
activities and improving the literacy skills, habits and
attitudes of participating adults. Children participating
in the program demonstrate a higher frequency of
preliterate activities, such as asking to be read to and
looking at books on their own.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
Appropriates $375,000 from the General Fund.
SUPPORT : (Verified 9/8/99)
Los Angeles County Office of Education
California Child Development Administrator's Association
Alhambra Public Library
Blanchard Community Library
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City of Huntington Beach
City of Commerce
John F. Kennedy Library
Escondido Public Library
Friends of Read
Literacy Volunteers of America, Imperial Valley
Lompoc Public Library
Partners in Reading
Sacramento Public Library
San Diego Council on Literacy
San Rafael Public Library
Valencia Library
Young Families in Our Libraries Teen Parent Project
GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE:
"This bill would increase funding for the Families
for Literacy Program (FLP) and would expand the FLP
services that libraries may offer. The FLP is a
competitive grant program that provides funding to
public library jurisdiction to provide coordinated
literacy and preliteracy services to families that
include illiterate adults and young children.
"I am supportive of the FLP and appropriated $876,000
in the annual Budget Act for the program, which I
feel is sufficient to effectively achieve the goals
of the program. In addition, I approved an
augmentation of $18 million to the Public Library
Foundation in the 1999-00 budget. This represented
an increase of more than 45 percent for this program.
"In addition, Proposition 227 annually appropriates
$50 million to school districts in order to provide
free or subsidized programs of adult English language
instruction to parents or other members of the
community who pledge to tutor English learner pupils.
There is nothing in Proposition 227 prohibiting
these funds from being used for a partnership between
school districts and the Families for Literacy
Program.
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ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-4, 9/8/99
AYES: Aanestad, Ackerman, Alquist, Aroner, Ashburn, Bates,
Battin, Baugh, Bock, Brewer, Briggs, Calderon, Campbell,
Cardenas, Cardoza, Cedillo, Corbett, Correa, Cox,
Cunneen, Davis, Dickerson, Ducheny, Dutra, Firebaugh,
Florez, Frusetta, Gallegos, Granlund, Havice, Hertzberg,
Honda, Jackson, Keeley, Knox, Kuehl, Leach, Lempert,
Leonard, Longville, Lowenthal, Machado, Maddox,
Maldonado, Margett, Mazzoni, Migden, Nakano, Olberg,
Oller, Robert Pacheco, Papan, Pescetti, Reyes, Romero,
Runner, Scott, Shelley, Soto, Steinberg, Strickland,
Strom-Martin, Thompson, Thomson, Torlakson, Vincent,
Washington, Wayne, Wesson, Wiggins, Wildman, Wright,
Zettel, Villaraigosa
NOES: Baldwin, House, Kaloogian, McClintock
NOT VOTING: Floyd, Rod Pacheco
NC:jk 1/4/00 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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